Winter sports still a go... for now

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
The Wyoming High School Activities Association announced at the beginning of October that winter sports would be a go for the 2020-2021 season, and as of this week, that is still the plan by the activities association. 
The increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state and the region caused the WHSAA to work with the State Health Department to revise the Smart Start guidelines for winter sports, however, and those were released on Monday morning. 
The guidelines are more restrictive than the fall sports guidelines, but as of now, it looks as though the seasons will begin as scheduled. However, Newcastle coaches as well as those around the state, are nervously hoping that their sports will live to see the light of day.
“I have to admit when we started this school year I wasn’t sure we were going to be having a season at all,” began wrestling co-head coach Jason Wheeler. “Then when I heard we had the green light to go I was pretty excited!”
“I’m still nervous with the surge of all the cases in Wyoming and surrounding states, because who knows what will happen,” Lady Dogie head coach Chad Ostenson admitted. “The winter sports are indoor, contact sports so that has me a little bit worried.”
The new Smart Start guidelines which were vetted by both the WHSAA and the Wyoming Department of Health continued the original outline, however there are a few big changes that will impact basketball and wrestling competitions. 
The most notable change is that masks will be required of all persons in the building excluding only the athletes currently on the court or on the mat. Bench players, coaches, event workers and spectators must all wear masks and social distance when possible, even family groups that are seated together.
“It’s going to take a little getting used to and there will be some challenges, but it’s also very do-able,” Ostenson nodded. “If that’s what we have to do to have a season, that’s what we’ll do.”
“This is not about us, if our kids want to have a season, we have to bite the bullet and do whatever we have to in order to make that happen,” Dogie head coach Allen Von Eye began. “Living out here in the Wild West, nobody wants to comply with PPE and that is making it difficult to guarantee that a winter season will take place.”
The seasons are still on track to begin on time, but just like the fall sports, things will look a little different. There will not be any multiple-day tournaments in basketball, however teams may have more than one contest in a day. Teams must be separated and the facilities sanitized between contests. 
Teams must be socially distanced during warm-up times, each team must bring their own basketballs, and each game and overtime will begin with a coin toss to determine possession. This last requirement has been instituted in order to protect referees, not necessarily the players.
Teams will not be shaking hands before or after contests, and there are to be no pre- or post-game gatherings in order to assist in limiting exposure.
“If we take the precautions and follow the guidelines to limit contact, I’m hopeful we can make the season happen,” Ostenson stated. “It’s not a perfect situation, but there are definitely things we can do to make that happen.”
Changes made to the original guidelines for wrestling include that only two teams per gym will be allowed to compete at the same time, and only one mat in the gym may be used. They may have up to three different duals in a day, however between matches, athletes must shower and change singlets.
“The smart guidelines are continually changing, so there is no guarantee that what we have now will be what we finish with. As long as we are able to have a season though, I will work with the guidelines, and be happy to just be wrestling,” Wheeler declared. “There is a bit of a silver lining to the guidelines because one of the rules is to wear a different uniform for each match, and we have several days with three matches, so we were able to get new singlets in order to have enough for the athletes to each have three.”
Another universal change to the Smart Start guidelines is that there are to be no team dinners during the season as that kind of situation was found to be a source for outbreaks during the fall.
Weston County School District No. 1 has instituted the restriction that NHS will not take part in any interstate competitions and, as such, schedules had to be revised for the year as both wrestling and basketball have several competitions against South Dakota and Nebraska schools.
It’s not just Newcastle that has been looking for new competitors to take the place of interstate contests. This year Newcastle basketball teams will play Laramie before Christmas. Originally, the game was to be played in Newcastle, however, Laramie has to travel to Green River for a game on Friday, so traveling to Newcastle on Saturday was a little much. Therefore, Newcastle agreed to go to their house to play.
“We have wanted to get some 4A schools on our schedule for a while now. Everyone is short, so it worked out for us to do that this year,” Von Eye said. “It may not be as advantageous for the guys this year, but we’re excited anyway.”
So coaches and athletes are breathing a sigh of relief at this point, however they are also fully aware that the situation is fluid and things may change by next week, but for now, the Dogies are planning to start their winter seasons on Nov. 23.